


And then there was silence

by orphan_account



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Or Is he?, Other, asriel is alive and well, goat brother, sans and toriel are a couple, something is afoot, you all live together
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-29
Updated: 2016-02-09
Packaged: 2018-05-16 23:05:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5844439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You start to have strange dreams after Asriel got himself a soul. With him there, your family is complete. There are no dusty, empty frames or beds.<br/>The only problem is: you never forgot what Flowey did to you, and you were, deeply and irreversibly, scared of your adopted sibling.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Asriel walks alone at night

**Author's Note:**

> The chapter may be really short, but I'll try to update often. It's been years since i last wrote a fanfic, and it's harder for me since english is not my first language. I hope you understand.

Frisk was feeling uneasy at the moment.

Everyone was at the dinner table. Toriel had just started collecting the dirty plates and moving them into the sink, while Sans had moved to the couch, most probably going to sleep midway through the movie they had borrowed from Alphys.

You were avoiding to go to your room.

The clock tick-tocked away. Across the table, you watched a somewhat silent Asriel.

“Don't you have to get up early tomorrow?”, Toriel mentioned, after washing the dishes and looking at the time.

“I don't feel sleepy, mom.”, your stomach tightned and you were suddenly feeling very cold inside.

“That's because you slept in today.”, she was unamused by your attempt.

“Aw, mom...”

“Friiiiisk.”, she warned in a stern voice.

Her tone said everything. No matter how sweet she was, Toriel was a very convincing woman when it came to your well being. She never says what she is going to do, but never fails to find chores for you whenever you avoid things that must be done. Those went from helping picking up (live) snails for dinner (those slimy, gross invertebrates… Always climbing up your hands), to helping out with groceries (a chore you specially dislike to do), to extra homework (it was never TOO MUCH homework, but you had difficulties understanding monster's literature sometimes). She used to do that a lot more when you were younger. Your foster mother confessed to you that she disliked to see you sit idly in the ruins, and would rather have you do something less dangerous than wander around those old spiked puzzles. When you moved aboveground, you could see how much more at ease she was for having you somewhere “safer".

Tomorrow morning you were going to have a full medical check up. You hoped that, if anything showed up on the exams, that it would be nothing she couldn't fix with magic. Before that, however, you'd need to see a doctor. A human doctor, to be exact. Human anatomy was still beyond the knowledge accessible to most monsters. They have tried checking up on you previously, but that… Didn't end very well, to say the least. Note to self: No matter how careful Alphys is around you, chances are that Undyne is with her, more than ready to cook you something healthy and very flamable.

The way out of the underground wasn't terribly long, but you didn't just need to get out. The path down the Mount Ebott wasn't always safe to take by yourself. Not to mention, most of your friends weren't comfortable having you around so many humans alone. There was still a general feeling of wariness over human-monster interactions.

You have a house Aboveground. The only reason why you were all in the Underground at the moment was because the residence at the surface was under renovations. There was a huge leak inside the walls, and fungi had grown all over. It had been Sans' idea to have you all go back to your old house while the problem was being taken care of, taking into consideration how much Toriel was against bothering any of your friends with accommodating yourselves in their homes.

You were ok with that.

Until you remembered one single detail about the old house.

“Good night, mom.”, Asriel kissed Toriel's cheek.

“Good night, my dear.”, She said as he walked out of the kitchen.

You heard, in a few moments, him opening and closing the door of your shared room briefly with two soft clicks. The tight knot in you belly became even tighter and you made a run for the bathroom.

You washed your face and looked at the mirror. You were beet red, your mouth dry like you hadn't had a drink all day.

Just what were you going to do about this situation, you didn't know. It was not like you could sleep on the couch tonight. You could almost hear your mom's voice in your head, inquiring why you weren't in your room. There was nothing you wanted more than to avoid answering that question.

“I'm sleeping on the couch because I don't want to sleep in the same room as my flower brother, mommy.”, you said to your reflection in the mirror with a faked childishly high voice. If your image could talk back, you were sure they would tell you all about how that was not an option.

What would she think?

You yawned.

Fudge…

Stepping out of the bathroom, you almost ran into Asriel, who had already changed into an old t-shirt and boxers.

“Excuse me.”, he carefully avoided to touch you, and dissapeared into the bathroom, closing the door behind you.

That was you chance.

You ran to your room lightning fast, and tried to chance your clothes even faster. You were done changing into the first pajamas you found way before he came back. You jumped under your covers and turned off the light just as fast. You covered your head and waited.

Your breath was short, and the anxiety over having Asriel sleeping across the bedroom was enough set fire to your nerves.

“Frisk?”, the room was lit by the corridor's lamp, and you could see it through the fabric of your mantle.

For what felt like an eternity, you expected him to walk through the room, fix his things, grab whatever he needed or do anything at all really. Instead, there was this long silence, and it all but sounded like he was still by the door. You couldn't hear any breathing or any sound but the loud thrumming of your pulse. Completely frozen in place, under your covers, you just hoped that he would go to sleep soon.

And then, very softly, his pillow-soft paws made soft scratching sounds on the polished wooden floor whenever he took a step. The springs of his mattress creaked, slightly rusty, you suppose, by the years of uselessness, and you had the mental image of your brother setting himself up on his bed.

There was silence for a while. Time dragged itself slower than a sloth while you patiently expected him to start snoring. You tried to remember the names of all the snails Napstablook had in his farm to pass the time. The little ghost gave cutesy names for his slimy “herd”, and as you remembered them you could feel yourself calming down. There were so many things in the underground that helped you through hard nights… Cute snail names, you mother's pies, nice well worn hoodies, little chunks missing from wheels of cheese… All of those things made you feel warm inside. Alongside with that warmth, your eyelids started getting heavy.

Not long before you dozed off, you heard a faint, soft hiss. Asriel's low snores filled your ears and you let yourself fall into the dark, dark night.

…

_ The darkness, not unlike smoke, cleared away, giving space to a scenery somewhat familiar. You recognized every rock and puddle on the ground. Waterfall. _

_ Your cheek rested on something soft and warm, and someone was brushing your hair with their fingers. A soft tune played somewhere, but you couldn't tell exactly where the sound came from. The longer it played, you could feel your skin becoming damp and cold. There was rain, and the hand brushed away some drops from your brow. _

_ “Do you like it here?”, a familiar voice inquired. _

_ You lazily nodded, and got yourself comfortable against that person's gentle caress. Your feet pushed a rock away so you had more space for your legs. _

_ “Look at you…”, needles floated on a pond nearby, something smelt like disinfectant and flowers. “Do you like it?” _

_ As they said that, you remembered holding a fork and tasting something creamy and sweet. You nodded again, humming with satisfaction. You hadn't moved an inch, but your entire body was heavy like you had just ran for miles, and your heart was beating determined to love all around you. All was beautiful and shiny and it was all you ever wanted. Magic was in the air, and with every breath you could tell it was changing you inside, into someone better, someone happier. _

_ “Do you know what is sad, though?”, they said in a low, resonant voice. Something thicker than the rain splashed on your face. Your eyes fluttered open. The hand which was brushing your hair moved down you face, stoping over your collarbone. _

_ Just above your face, there they were: a dehydrated, wasting mummified child, with pitch black eyes, dark as tar. Everything about them was identical to you, except their eyes. They smiled at you, and you all but felt your heart stop, terrified under their palms. _

_ “ _ **_I want it all back_ ** _ ” _

_ They choked you. _

_ … _

You woke up with a start, gasping for breath, and kicked your covers away from you, suddenly feeling very claustrophobic. Whimpers escaped through your clenched teeth, and you searched the room. In the dark, Asriel's empty bed was spotted.

“Speedy, Smoochie, Bubby, Lucky, Stripes, Dumpling, Sparky…”, you whisper under your breath as many snail names as you can remember. The names keep coming, and you stare at the drawings taped to the wall. Sketches and colors you almost can't make out in the dark, you know those drawings by heart. They're a mix of Asriel's, Chara's and your drawings.

You took your time until you had calmed down, and only after feeling your heartbeat slow down, you gently slipped out off your bed. You fumbled around until you found and put on your slippers. There was no need to turn on any light as your eyes were already adjusted to the darkness. On your way to the kitchen, you passed by Sans, still sleeping on the couch. Toriel had covered him up with a blanket, and there was some half burnt wood in the fireplace.

His peaceful expression and snores fill you with  _ determination _ .

You opened the refrigerator's door and grabbed a bottle of juice. You opened one of the cabinets and picked out a glass cup and moved to the counter. You filled the cup and leant against the cold surface to peacefully had your drink.

Being alone, trying to be silent in the middle of the night in the kitchen reminded you of a horror movie you tried to watch once. Emphasis on  _ tried.  _ You had gotten so scared, not that long ago you still were having nightmares over shadow people coming from the corners of the room to surround your bed. Even now you avoided getting too close to spots you couldn't see well, like under the table and the counter, the windows…

You unconsciously glanced at the window frame.

A shudder crawled up you spine when you spotted a silhouette beyond the framed glass. You immediately recognized Asriel, walking around the front yard, near that one tree surrounded by dead leaves. He was walking away, and disappeared after taking a corner to the path deeper into the ruins.

What...

You admit you felt more at ease knowing where he was. He must have things he'd rather keep to himself, of course, and being the prince again, after so long, must have taken it's tool on his privacy. You understood, but it was not enough.

Taking into consideration what years of being “Flowey” were like, you went to the front door.

You were scared of “Flowey”.

The door creaked when you left.


	2. Nasty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hnnn, that's gonna sting

You found Asriel sitting by the flower bed. Pale moonlight filtered through the hole in the ceiling, and from far away, the boy almost looked like a statue; unmoving, pale and immaculate.

From your spot, considerably far away from the prince, you saw him pick up a flower and play with it's petals. He pulled at them softly, way too gently to tear them apart. Song filled the chamber when Asriel began to hum.

Felling calmer now that you saw where he was, you turned to go back to your house.

You managed to walk a few steps, before you heard your brother speak out.

“Stay.”, his voice was deeper than his usual high timbre, and very tranquil.

Freezing in place, you pulse quickened like you had been caught doing a bad thing. Doing as he asked, you walked towards the flower bed, but remained many steps away from him.

“I didn't want to interrupt.”, you announced, meekly.

“You didn't.”, he looked up over his shoulder at you. “I saw you were coming too.”, he then gestured for you to sit by his side, tapping gently the soft grass. "Sit with me?"

You obliged.

“I can't sleep.”, he admitted.

“Why?”

“The bed kinda smells.”, he twisted his nose at he admitted it.

“It hasn't been slept on for a while, I guess.”, you began to play with the grass yourself, aching to have somehting to do with your hands.

He looked at the flowers, and sighed.

“True.”

“Do you...”, you began. He looked at you when you didn't continue your sentence. “How long was it?”

He tilted his head, silently inquiring what you mean.

“How long has it been since you slept on that bed?”, you finally said.

His expression made you regret asking. You anxiously brushed your hair with your fingers, about to say it didn't matter, and that he didn't need to tell you, when you were interrupted.

“Honestly?”, his tone was flat. “I don't remember. It has been many years. I'm sure you can get an accurate date from mom, though. I myself, wouldn't be able to tell.”

“Because of the timelines?”, you asked, voice so soft, you thought he couldn't hear your question.

“Partially, yes.”, he ripped one petal from the flower in his hands. “But it's mostly because I never asked how long was it before Alphys took my flower to the lab.”

You hugged your knees. There it was, the tightness in your guts. You tried to ignore the feeling crawling up your troath. _His flower._ He said like that figment of artificial life wasn't him. The ugly, maniac looking flower and it's vines, and it's twisted mind. In a way, it wasn't him. Not fully at least.

You told yourself that it really wasn't him. That Flowey was someone else, and not the person sitting beside you.

“I see...”, you muttered.

“Maybe mom will be able to tell for sure.”, he said, forcing a smile.

“I don't think I really want to ask her.”

“Why?”

You didn't answer, and instead a furiously annoying itch sprouted on your hand, and couldn't stop scratching it, nervously.

“Frisk?”, Asriel leaned closer to you, and, unconsciously, you flinched. He then moved away, giving you back your personal space.

“I-I…!”, you hurried to apologize, but stopped when you saw Asriel's expression. He looked like he was a puppy someone had just kicked. There was a cold feeling going down your guts and coiling in your stomach. “I'm sorry.”, you apologized, unnable to look away from him.

“it's fine.”, he smiled again, just as forcefully as before, and stood up.

“i didn't mean to.”, you plead, following him up.

“Don't worry about it, Frisk.”, he's not even looking at you anymore.

“Asriel.”, you keep you distance, staying a couple feet behind on your walk back home.

He's almost running, and you walk just as fast as him.

“Please, Asriel!”

“Why do you have to be so-”, he comes to halt when you arrive at the spike puzzle. Rusty, old spear heads mark the path. It's not hard to see which ones are retractable, due to the ancient spider webs covering the ones that are not. He inhales and steps forwards. None of you speak before you have completely passed through the puzzle. He arrives at the other side much sooner than you, and leaves you behind, by yourself.

It could get surprisingly chilly in the ruins at night, so you quickened your pace. Without Asriel's presence, you were free to notice how unconfortable you were feeling. It was cold, your skin was damp and sticky. Your foot hit a rock on your way by mistake, and they yelled at you. The mineral monster moved around, shouting bloody hell for being awaken this rudely.

“Oh my god, I'm so sorry!”, that didn't seem to appease them so you left them alone.

The feeling of security enveloped you when you stepped inside Toriel's house. The fireplace was still keeping the living room warm, despite the fire having died quite a while ago. Sans wasn't on the sofa anymore. He probably had left in favor of a real bed. It was hard to picture how he had actually fallen asleep on th old, creaky sofa. He had a talent for sleeping in unconfortable places, you guessed.

You went to your room and stopped in front of the door, not sure if you wanted to go in.

It was just Asriel, you tried to convince yourself. It was Toriel and Asgore's son on the other side of this door. You pictured how fluffy was the fur of the boss monsters, and tried to remember how equally soft were the pads on their palms. Soft, and inoffensive, like a puppy. Like the guard dogs from Snowdin.

It was with the memory of Lesser Dog's overstretched neck and their excessive amount of snow sculptures that you could find the courage to open the door and go inside your shared room. The memory faded as soon as you saw your brother's back, laying on his side on his bed, facing the wall. You were laying on your bed and covering yourself under the covers so fast, yet so silently, you almost felt like you were hiding after having done something bad. Which, in retrospect, you actually did: you made Asriel feel bad. Not on purpose, you told yourself. You repeated your mental pledge, trying to keep nasty thoughts at bay.

When you calmed down enough to fall asleep, you didn't dream.


	3. Full of love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's so much love to be given.

“Good morning, sweeties.”, a moist snout dug into your stomach and blew against it, tickling you out of your dream while making fart-like noises. A beautiful, singing voice chuckled as you pushed the cover over your head. “Breakfast is getting cold.”, Toriel announced, melodically.

“Five more minutes, mom...”, you heard from the other side of the room.

“Uh-hnnn.”, it was Asriel's turn to suffer under they mother's affection, thrown into a fit of laughter as she tickled him merciless.

“Mooooom.”, you couldn't not laugh. “You're so evil!”, was your evaluation, sinking deeper into the safety of your bed, watching as Asriel was reduced to a convulsing pile of breathy laughs, crying for mercy.

Toriel only left after outright making Asriel fall off his bed. He whimpered on the floor, blushing furiously under his thick fur. He waited until she was gone to roll on his back and laugh some more. A sneaky smile crept on your face and refused to leave.

Still in pajamas, you decided to go get your breakfast before sans did it for you. The dinner table was crowded with much more food than you needed: jars of juice, pancakes, leftover snail pie, toast, ham, cheese, coffee, and even some meat buns. She could probably feed a small army on that table alone. She had started making twice as much food after Asriel came back, and at first you had absolutely no idea of why she did. Your confusion lasted only until you had a meal with Asriel. He might be a tad shorter than you, but, dang, did he EAT.

The young boss monster had a literal pile on his plate. Somewhere under the toasts, he had managed to fit two slices of snail pie, as well as one big meat bun. Toriel hummed happily when he started to eat, voraciously. When he was done with the toasts, and moving to the meat bun, Sans strides in the room, yawning.

“'morning.”, he kissed you and Asriel on the top of your heads and on Toriel's cheek before sitting down beside your mother.

“Coffee?”, she offered.

“nah, thanks.”, and grabbed a bun.

You four took about half an hour to thoroughly empty your plates and another twenty minutes to get dressed and brush your teeth. Afterwards, Toriel sat on the couch to read a new book (the traveling guide for the curious and adventurous) and Asriel joined her with a couple of his favorite toys. Sans was waiting for you by the door frame, with your documents and etcetera.

“Ready to go kid?”

You nodded.

You held Sans' thin, sturdy hands and, in the blink of a second, your body desintegrate and reformed, perfect as if it never had not been whole. The contents of your stomach turned around, not agreeing with the sudden shakey feeling the shortcuts usually left behind. The skeleton had to hold you in place so you wouldn't topple down.

Instead of the familiar scenery of Toriel's house in the ruins, you were greeted by a small town's quaint landscape. The ground was paved with stones, and there was a strong smell of cattle and feces, and a loud and sharp whistle was singing in the distance. Finally looking up to see where exactly you were, you found a train station. It was small, barely covered from the weather conditions, which, by the way, where agradably sunny and mild. Not far from you two, a man dropped his cigarette at the sight of the skeleton man by your side, promptly hiding inside operator's office. Sans chuckled humorlessly at that.

“Wow, like he never saw a skeleton before. Rude.”

“Where is the clinic again, Sans?”, you inquired.

“Not far from here. We gonna go the rest of the way on foot.”, still holding your hand, he lead you outside the train station.

And off you were. Quaint was the town, but it wasn't resourceless. Having barely left the station, you could already spot the commercial area, with it's particularly taller buildings and denser crowd. The way was paved with square stones, but here and there you could spot some loose pieces. You stumbled into one, feeling a little dizzy.

“Woah, watch it, kiddo!”, Sans' hand helped steady your step.

“Sorry.”, you rubbed one eye and repressed a yawn.

As you got closer to the commercial center, you started to feel the stares. Back at home, your mother had talked to you about what to do. Don't stare back. Don't say anything. Just keep walking: it's your right to go wherever you want to go. You are an embassador, therefore you must act like one. Taking a deep breath, you reminded yourself to keep your head held high. You still clutched Sans's hand as hard as you could, and he squeezed back. You were now engulfed by the crowd, and it felt worse than running from Undyne's spears. You couldn't dodge _these_.

“Don't mind them, Frisk.”, Sans whispered to you, reasuring. When your grip didn't loose, he continued: “We can go back home, just say so and we leave.”

“Thank you.”, and didn't say anything more.

Arriving at the clinic, you swung the polished wooden door open, and all the eyes turned your way. Patients waiting in line, kids, mothers carrying their babies, workers, all fell silent. You remembered, like a stab in your confidence, how loud were the clinics you used to go before, when you didn't have a monster for your guardian. Unfazed, Sans didn't hesitate, and brought you to the front counter, effectively startling the receptionist.

“G' day. We have an appointment with the doc.”, he announced.

“Your name, sir?”, the receptionist inquired like a broken record. You wondered, if he hadn't been so used to repeating the same questions to everyone who shows up, would he be able to talk to your guardian at all? You liked to think it wasn't that hard, but admitted it must be really scary to see a walking and talking skeleton at your work place.

“Sans. No last name.”, then he pointed at you. The receptionist had to lean over the counter to see you behind it. “And Frisk Dreemur.”, and showed him your ID.

When the he heard your name, realization fell upon him.

“Of course! We've been expecting you! You may come in, the doctor is already waiting for you.”

Just like he said, you found the doctor in her pristine white coat. She was a relatively older woman, face soft with smile wrickles near the corners of her mouth and on her temples. It looked so natural in her when she smiled at you. It was much quieter inside with her than at the waiting room, and you uncounsciously relaxed.

“Hello, Frisk and Sans”, she stood up to greet you two. She shook your hand softly. “It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Ambassador.”, she chuckled, and it was such a lovely laugh, you thought she reminded you of your mother.

“Me too.", you cooed.

“Now, now.”, she sat back down on her comfortable looking chair, and leaned towards you over her table. “How have you been lately?”

 

 

\----------------------------

 

There was music somewhere. You had adjusted yourself to fit the top of your head against your mother's soft side. One of her hands held a thick and dusty book, and the other rested among your locks. She caressed you softly, humming to the music. She smelt like burnt cookies and sweet as nothing else could ever be. By her side, there was no position uncomfortable, nothing that could distress you. You were as happy as a sleepy toddler.

You turned to your toys. On your right paw, you had a figure action, while on the other you had a plushie. They were on their way to their farmland, where they grew apples. Apples as sweet as his mother's pies, and juicy like nectar. They had the power of infinite knowledge, but were forbidden to share their fruit with anyone. There were wars over their stock, all avoided through diplomacy and generosity. The toys on his hands were just and fair, never allowing that power to fall onto the wrong hands. The plushie was caring and loving, full of love to give, while the action figure was brave, an agent of justice. They were about to head to the king's palace, ready to take over as his counselors, and, in the future, to follow on his footsteps to both become kings, simultaneously. They were about to bake the sweetest knowledge apple pies when Asriel was awoken from his daydream by his mother.

Toriel put her book aside and leant comfortably against the sofa, wrapping her arms around Asriel's body. She kissed the top of his head many times, and nuzzled against him, taking in his smell, and the feeling of his velvety fur against her lips. She sighed and hugged him harder, pushing the air out of his lungs.

“Mooooom!”, the boy whimpered, trying to break free. “I can't breath, mom!”

In his struggle, they both slid further into the cushion, until they were both laying down. Toriel crossed her legs over the arm rest, and resumed kissing her son's fur.

He bleated bashfully, and Toriel bleated back amidst her laughter. She began tickling him, and his pleas meant nothing to her affections. If anything, it made it worse. Soon, they were were having a tickle fight. Asriel knocked his toys off the sofa by swaying his legs. It was only after several attempts of freedom that Asriel managed to escape. He hid behind the sofa.

“Come here, my baby boy!”, Toriel begun her chase for him.

They ran through the house, managing to not knock down anything on their way. However, the chase only ended after them having taken it outside. Toriel grabbed Asriel by his sides nearby the old tree, lifted him over her head and spun, before hugging him and falling onto the pile of dead leaves. Breathless and bleating like a pair of fools, they sat up and tried to catch their breath.

The boy looked at the ceiling of the cave. The dark rocky top felt too claustrophobic now that he knew the surface, that endless sky was beyond his wildest dreams. He was going to mention it to his mother, but she embraced him again, cutting him short of words.

“I love you so much, Asriel.”, she whispered, almost like a confession, and you felt all the implications of those words.

You glanced at your house, where she had lived for decades thinking you were dead. In a way, you were. Now that you could feel again, you were washed by a powerful wave of pain and relief for finally being back home, in equal parts. You held her like you were going to fall if you didn't, and let the moment take you over. There was your soul, your _new_ soul, fragile and trembling, overcome with emotion and kindness. It made your chest feel warm. It made _everything_ feel warm! Your insides were drenched with feeling and it was far too much for you. Tears pooled on you eyes and your throat begun to burn, closing up. You sobbed, unable to contain it. Toriel rubbed her paws slowly on your back, up and down, soothing you. You couldn't stop crying.


End file.
